After finishing my conversation with the Great Spirit, I returned to the royal castle.
In the audience hall, Grom and Luciana were waiting.
"Demon King, are you unharmed!?"
"Something really powerful showed up, right? Are you okay?"
Grom and Luciana rushed over.
I stopped them as they approached and asked.
"What are you both doing here?"
"What do you mean 'what'? We were worried and waiting. It's good it didn't turn into a fight."
Luciana let out a sigh of relief.
Even though she wasn't present, she had sensed the Great Spirit's presence. It seemed she'd been flustered upon noticing I was accompanying it.
"The Great Spirit apparently just wanted to talk. There was no problem."
"Is that so..."
When I told him, Grom visibly relaxed.
Luciana, on the other hand, sighed with an exasperated expression.
"My, the Demon King is quite bold... When it was about Dwight, you were much more concerned."
"Is that so."
Logan had said something similar.
To those who knew my former self, the psychological transformation was apparently noticeable.
Being bold was not a bad trait for a Demon King.
I'll take that as a compliment.
Grom straightened his posture and performed the old kingdom-era salute, spine stiff. "My Lord, the army's formation is complete. We can march at once."
"Understood. You and the others wait near the troops. I'll be there shortly."
At my words, Grom and Luciana each replied and withdrew from the room.
The pair knew the arrangements for this area thoroughly.
Without explicit orders, they would split up and handle what needed to be done.
Though they bickered daily, they were in fact extremely capable.
Their coordination was also exceptional.
"..."
Alone now, my attention turned to the side of the throne.
There, a crystal containing remains floated beside a commemorative sword, propped up in its stand.
It hadn't changed at all since being placed here.
The research institute was investigating resurrection of the dead, but no useful discoveries had yet been made.
It only served to drive home how utterly impossible it seemed.
This, I couldn't help. The difficulty of realizing it, I understood well.
I had no choice but to persist patiently.
Fortunately, I was unconstrained by time.
Without aging or worrying about a lifespan, I could press forward toward my goal.
It would be good to proceed with research into the resurrection of the dead in that process.
I will absolutely not give up.
The transformation of the world was steadily progressing.
The future that person desired was drawing near.
I wanted to show them that.
"Please... lend me your strength once more."
I approached the pedestal, offered a silent prayer, and took up the heirloom sword in my hands.
I had a premonition that I should bring this sword to tonight's battle.
The last time I had used this sword was in the battle against the Holy Maiden Makia.
A considerable amount of time had passed since then, but my swordsmanship had not diminished by a single shred.
The blade that had once slain the Demon Lord would once again cut down many humans.
(What will he do...?)
What I was thinking of was John Doe, the technologist from the Artificer Nation.
Whether he was subject to the interference of the World's Will remained unclear.
To be absolutely certain, John Doe should be killed.
He was merely a technologist.
Unlike a Hero or a Holy Maiden, his direct combat capability was low.
Even according to the secret agent's report, he was on par with an ordinary person.
At best, he could use some magic, and even that was nothing compared to a professional mage.
Therefore, his assassination should be easy.
The question is whether it is permissible to kill John Doe.
His inventions bring prosperity to people's lives.
There is hesitation in crushing that potential.
His consistently extraordinary thinking was evident from the weapons he had worked on.
He was undoubtedly a genius.
If his ingenuity could be applied elsewhere, many would benefit.
A world built on enhanced convenience and peace would be desirable from my perspective as well.
However, the current Demon Craft Country cannot be left unchecked.
The crime of using Imperial nobles to steal the Spirit King's sacred stone is grave.
It is a move against world peace, resulting in unnecessary chaos.
"Hmm."
After some consideration, I decided to withhold my conclusion.
John Doe's fate would be decided after speaking with him first.
Depending on the situation, I might even recruit him into the Demon Lord's domain.
This would remove a threat from the human side while borrowing his intellect.
I will judge only after discerning John Doe's character.
If he harbored dangerous ideologies, or if there was no room for reconciliation or submission, I would kill him without hesitation.
After considering all angles, the peace of the world remains the most important thing.
Those who disrupt it must be eliminated immediately.
Only the Demon Lord's domain should remain as a source of threat.
Everything else would be stripped away.
Having settled my strategy, I used teleportation to travel to the front of the castle.
In the darkness of night, the Demon King's army stood in formation.
Scattered magical light sources illuminated their appearance.
Once again, it was a combined force of undead, monsters, humans, and elves.
Approximately ten thousand in total, with more magic users than usual.
This was likely because our opponent wielded long-range weaponry.
The remaining forces would be procured locally as usual.
If I added more undead, the scale would be sufficient.
"Hey, General. All preparations are perfect, right?"
The one who called out in that casual tone was Henry.
Even amid the tension, he maintained his usual demeanor.
"My preparations are complete. What about you?"
"Of course, everything's perfect. Dolda has also adjusted his condition."
As Henry said this, he put his arm around Dolda, who was standing nearby.
The pulled-in Dolda moved the jaw of the old wolf.
"Neck... I... hunt..."
"See? Perfect, right?"
"...Indeed."
I nodded in response to the confident Henry.
My subordinates standing nearby seemed eager to speak, but being wise, they held their silence.
"The enemy will bring a great many unknown weapons to bear. Be ever vigilant."
"Understood. I'll show them which of our weapons is superior."
At my warning, Henry grins while toying with his bow.
In his case, it's not arrogance.
It's a statement made with a firm grasp of his own strength and a clear assessment of the enemy's capabilities.
If he and Dolda are on the front line, I can rest easy.
Even golems, they would likely destroy with ease.
Through daily training, coordination with my subordinates has become smooth.
Next, I made my way to Logan, who was positioned at the edge of the Demon Lord's army.
"Are you fully recovered now? You mentioned you were still recuperating."
"...My apologies."
Logan offers a somewhat awkward apology.
He likely felt guilty for leaving me to handle the dialogue with the Great Spirit alone.
I shake my head in response.
"Pay it no mind. I understand how you feel. What's more, I'm counting on you this time."
"Leave it to me."
This time, it won't be a prolonged battle. I intend to bring it to a swift, decisive conclusion.
Rapidly recover the secret stone, and make contact with John Doe.
That is the sole objective.
The secret stone is said to be in the Imperial Capital of the Arcane Nation.
As we must travel there to confirm the exact location, I'll be having Logan cooperate with me.
Our spies have already listed potential hiding places, so it shouldn't prove too difficult.
I flew up into the sky, positioning myself where I could look down upon the Demon Lord's army.
There, I conspicuously raised both hands for all to see.
My subordinates, catching sight of my signal, tensed in unison.
A quiet intensity swirled around us.
The elevated morale dominated the scene.
(—Not bad, then.)
Having confirmed this, I executed the translocation magic.